Cyclic gas separator

Abstract

A cyclic gas separator machine is described which can continuously separate a mixed gas into two or more differing and undiluted product gases differing as to the kinds of molecules present. Separation is accomplished by the action of a surface force material in retarding the flow of capturable molecules across its surface relative to uncapturable molecules. The needed cross flow is achieved by alternately compressing and expanding each container pressure vessel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 
     
       1. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases and comprising: at least one compressor means for compressing gases from a lower pressure to a higher pressure and each such compressor means comprising at least one stage and each such stage comprising an inlet and an outlet end;   at least two separate expander means for expanding gas from a higher pressure to a lower pressure and each such expander means comprising at least one stage and each such stage comprising an inlet end and a discharge end;   at least three separate container means, each of said containers comprising, an elongated gas pressure vessel means for containing any gas compressed therein, an inlet at one end of said pressure vessel, an outlet at the other end of said pressure vessel, at least one type of surface force material, means for positioning said surface force material inside said gas pressure vessel means so that gas can flow through said pressure vessel means from said inlet to said outlet and so that when gas flows into said pressure vessel inlet and also when gas flows out of said pressure vessel outlet, such gas flow occurs essentially unidirectionally across most of the surface of said surface force material;   power means for driving each said compressor means and for absorbing any mechanical work done upon each said expander means by said expanding gas;   each such expander means comprising an expander discharge;   at least one mixed gas supply source of gas to be separated;   a number of separate product gas collector pipes equal to said number of separate expander means;   each such compressor means whose number of stages exceeds one further comprising fixed open gas flow connections from the outlet end of each compressor stage, except one, to the inlet end of one other stage of said compressor, whereby said stages of said compressor are connected in series so that the pressure of a particular gas mass, at delivery from each stage, increases as said gas mass is compressed through said series connected stages, from the inlet end to the outlet end of each stage, with the first stage in said series through which a gas mass first flows being both the lowest pressure stage and also that one stage whose inlet end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection from the outlet end of any other stage of said compressor, and with the last stage in said series through which a gas mass last flows being both the highest pressure stage and also that one stage whose outlet end does not have fixed open gas flow connection to the supply end of any other stage of said compressor;   fixed open gas flow connections from the inlet end of the lowest pressure stage of each of said compressor means to said mixed gas supply source;   each such separate expander means whose number of stages exceeds one further comprising fixed open gas flow connections from the discharge end of each expander stage, except one, to the inlet end of one other stage of said expander, whereby said stages of said expander are connected in series so that the pressure of a particular gas mass, at discharge from each stage, decreases as said gas mass is expanded through said series connected stages, from the inlet end to the discharge end of each stage, with the first stage in said series through which a gas mass first flows being both the highest pressure stage and also that one stage whose inlet end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection from the discharge end of any other stage of said expander, and with the last stage in said series through which a gas mass last flows being both the lowest pressure stage and also that one stage whose discharge end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection to the inlet end of any other stage of said expander;   fixed open gas flow connections from the discharge end of the lowest pressure stage of each of said expander means to said expander discharge;   expander discharge means for connecting the discharge of each of said separate expander means separately to but one of said product gas collector pipes with a fixed open gas flow connection so that each product gas collector pipe is thusly connected to but one of said separate expander discharges;   changeable container gas flow connections, which are openable and closeable, from the gas pressure vessel inlet of each of said containers to each outlet end of each stage of each of said compressor means, and from the gas pressure vessel outlet of each of said containers to each inlet end of each stage of each of said expander means;   each cyclic gas separator machine comprising a number of said containers, with changeable gas flow connections to said compressor means and to said expander means, at least equal to the sum of the number of compressor stages of all compressors and the number of expander stages of all expanders;   means for opening and closing said changeable gas pressure vessel gas flow connections so that each gas pressure vessel inlet is opened for a time period to each outlet end of each stage of each of said compressor means, in a sub-sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections to compressors, said sub-sequence proceeding in time order of increasing compressor stage delivery pressure, each gas pressure vessel outlet is opened for a time period to each inlet end of each stage of each of said expander means, in a sub-sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections to expanders, said sub-sequence proceeding in time order of decreasing expander stage inlet pressure, said sub-sequence of connections to said compressors being followed by said sub-sequence of connections to said expanders, and these together comprise one sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections, each of said gas pressure vessel changeable gas flow connections is opened to only one stage during any one time period of said sequence of time periods, said sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections to said compressor means and to said expander means is repeated for each of said containers by said means for opening and closing;   means for controlling said means for opening and closing said changeable gas pressure vessel gas flow connections, so that said repeated sequences of time periods of open gas flow connections are a continuous series of time periods for any one containing means, and so that the delivery end of each stage of each compressor means has an open gas flow connection to one gas pressure vessel inlet, and the inlet end of each stage of each expander means has an open gas flow connection to one gas pressure vessel outlet, during all time periods, whenever said machine is operating.   
     
     
       2. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 1: wherein each of said container means further comprises a heating and cooling jacket surrounding said gas pressure vessel means, said jacket having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;   and further comprising;   a source of cooling fluid;   a sink for cooling fluid;   a source of heating fluid;   a sink for heating fluid;   changeable heating and cooling connections which are openable and closeable from the inlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said source of cooling fluid, and from the inlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said source of heating fluid, and from the outlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said sink for cooling fluid, and from the outlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said sink for heating fluid;   cooling and heating means for opening and closing said changeable heating and cooling connections so that: each heating and cooling jacket inlet is opened to said source of cooling fluid and closed to said source of heating fluid and said outlet of said same heating and cooling jacket is concurrently opened to said sink for cooling fluid and closed to said sink for heating fluid during a sub-sequence of cooling time periods; each heating and cooling jacket inlet is opened to said source of heating fluid and closed to said source of cooling fluid and said outlet of said same heating and cooling jacket is concurrently opened to said sink for heating fluid and closed to said sink for cooling fluid during a sub-sequence of heating time periods; said sub-sequence of cooling time periods for each container occurring concurrently with said sub-sequence of gas flow connections to compressor means; said sub-sequence of heating time period for each container occurring concurrently with said sub-sequence of gas flow connections to expander means.   
     
     
       3. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 2, and further comprising: cooling control means for controlling the temperature of said cooling fluid from said source of cooling fluid;   heating control means for controlling the temperature of said heating fluid from said source of heating fluid.   
     
     
       4. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases and comprising: at least one compressor means for compressing gases from a lower pressure to a higher pressure and each such compressor means comprising at least one stage and each such stage comprising an inlet and an outlet end;   at least one expander means for expanding gas from a higher pressure to lower pressure and each such expander means comprising at least one stage and each such stage comprising an inlet end and a discharge end;   at least two separate container means, each of said containers comprising an elongated gas pressure vessel means for containing any gas compressed therein, an inlet at one end of said pressure vessel, an outlet at the other end of said pressure vessel, at least one type of surface force material, means for positioning said surface force material inside said gas pressure vessel means so that gas can flow through said pressure vessel means from said inlet to said outlet and so that when gas flows into said pressure vessel inlet and also when gas flows out of said pressure vessel outlet such gas flow occurs essentially unidirectionally across most of the surface of said surface force material;   power means for driving each said compressor means and for absorbing any mechanical work done upon each said expander means by said expanding gas;   each such expander means comprising an expander discharge;   at least one mixed gas supply source of gas to be separated;   each such compressor means whose number of stages exceeds one further comprising fixed open gas flow connections from the outlet end of each compressor stage, except one, to the inlet end of one other stage of said compressor, whereby said stages of said compressor are connected in series so that the pressure of a particular gas mass, at delivery from each stage, increases as said gas mass is compressed through said series connected stages, from the inlet end to the outlet end of each stage, with the first stage in said series through which a gas mass first flows being both the lowest pressure stage and also that one stage whose inlet end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection from the outlet end of any other stage of said compressor, and with the last stage in said series through which a gas mass last flows being both the highest pressure stage and also that one stage whose outlet end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection to the supply end of any other stage of said compressor;   fixed open gas flow connections from the inlet end of the lowest pressure stage of each of said compressor means to said mixed gas supply source;   each such separate expander means whose number of stages exceeds one further comprising fixed open gas flow connections from the discharge end of each expander stage, except one, to the inlet end of one other stage of said expander, whereby said stages of said expander are connected in series so that the pressure of a particular gas mass, at discharge from each stage, decreases as said gas mass is expanded through said series connected stages, from the inlet end to the discharge end of each stage, with the first stage in said series through which a gas mass first flows being both the highest pressure stage and also that one stage whose inlet end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection from the discharge end of any other stage of said expander, and with the last stage in said series through which a gas mass last flows being both the lowest pressure stage and also that one stage whose discharge end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection to the inlet end of any other stage of said expander;   fixed open gas flow connections from the discharge end of the lowest pressure stage of each of said expander means to said expander discharge;   at least two separate product gas collector pipes;   changeable expander discharge gas flow connections which are openable and closeable separately from the discharge of at least one of said expander means to at least two of said separate product gas collector pipes;   said number of separate product gas collector pipes being equal to said number of separate expander means plus said number of changeable expander discharge gas flow connections less the number of said separate expander means having changeable expander discharge gas flow connections;   changeable container gas flow connections, which are openable and closeable, from the gas pressure vessel inlet of each of said containers to each outlet end of each stage of each of said compressor means, and from the gas pressure vessel outlet of each of said containers to each inlet end of each stage of each of said expander means;   each cyclic gas separator machine comprising a number of said containers, with changeable gas flow connections to said compressor means and to said expander means, at least equal to the sum of the number of compressor stages of all compressors and the number of expander stages of all expanders;   means for opening and closing said changeable gas pressure vessel gas flow connections so that each gas pressure vessel inlet is opened for a time period to each outlet end of each stage of each of said compressor means, in a sub-sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections to compressors, said sub-sequence proceeding in time order of increasing compressor stage delivery pressure, and each gas pressure vessel outlet is opened for a time period to each inlet end of each stage of each of said expander means, in a sub-sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections to expanders, said sub-sequence proceeding in time order of decreasing expander stage inlet pressure, said sub-sequence of connections to said compressors being followed by said sub-sequence of connections to said expanders, and these together comprise one sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections, each of said gas pressure vessel changeable gas flow connections is opened to only one stage during any one time period of said sequence of time periods, said sequence of time periods of open gas flow connections to said compressor means and to said expander means is repeated for each of said containers by said means for opening and closing   means for controlling said means for opening and closing said changeable gas pressure vessel gas flow connections, so that said repeated sequences of time periods of open gas flow connections are a continuous series of time periods for any one containing means, and so that the delivery end of each stage of each compressor means has an open gas flow connection to one gas pressure vessel inlet, and the inlet end of each stage of each expander means has an open gas flow connection to one gas pressure vessel outlet, during all time periods, whenever said plant is operating;   expander discharge means for opening and closing said changeable expander discharge gas flow connections so that: each separate expander means having changeable expander discharge gas flow connections always has one and only one of said changeable connections open at any one time whenever said machine is operating; each changeable expander discharge gas flow connection is opened for a discharge time period in a sub-sequence of discharge time period; the duration of said sub-sequence of discharge time periods equalling the duration of the time period between changes of gas flow connections; said sub-sequence of discharge time period is repeated for each separate expander means having changeable expander discharge gas flow connections during each time period between changes of gas flow connections.   
     
     
       5. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 2: wherein each of said container means further comprises a heating and cooling jacket surrounding said gas pressure vessel means, said jacket having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;   and further comprising:   a source of cooling fluid;   a sink for cooling fluid;   a source of heating fluid;   a sink for heating fluid;   changeable heating and cooling connections which are openable and closeable from the inlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said source of cooling fluid, and from the inlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said source of heating fluid, and from the outlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said sink for cooling fluid, and from the outlet of each heating and cooling jacket to said sink for heating fluid;   cooling and heating means for opening and closing said changeable heating and cooling connections so that: each heating and cooling jacket inlet is opened to said source of cooling fluid and closed to said source of heating fluid and said outlet of said same heating and cooling jacket is concurrently opened to said sink for cooling fluid and closed to said sink for heating fluid during a sub-sequence of cooling time periods; each heating and cooling jacket inlet is opened to said source of heating fluid and closed to said source of cooling fluid and said outlet of said same heating and cooling jacket is concurrently opened to said sink for heating fluid and closed to said sink for cooling fluid during a sub-sequence of heating time periods; said sub-sequence of cooling time periods for each container occurring concurrently with said sub-sequence of gas flow connections to compressor means; said sub-sequence of heating time periods for each container occurring concurrently with said sub-sequence of gas flow connections to expander means.   
     
     
       6. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 5, and further comprising: cooling control means for controlling the temperature of said cooling fluid from said source of cooling fluid;   heating control means for controlling the temperature of said heating fluid from said source of heating fluid.   
     
     
       7. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 1, 4, 2, or 5; wherein said means for controlling said means for opening and closing said changeable gas pressure vessel gas flow connections further comprises time interval adjustment means for adjusting the time interval between changes of container gas flow connections.   
     
     
       8. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 1, 4, 2, or 5, and further comprising: a vacuum pump comprising means for pumping each of said pressure vessel means down to a pressure below the pressure at which the gases therefrom are discharged into said connected product gas collector pipe, said pumping means having at least one stage and each such stage comprising an inlet end and a discharge end;   each such vacuum pump whose number of stages exceeds one further comprising fixed open gas flow connections from the discharge end of each vacuum pump stage, except one, to the inlet end of one other stage of said vacuum pump, whereby said stages of said vacuum pump are connected in series so that the pressure of a particular gas mass, at delivery from each stage, increases as said gas mass is pumped through said series connected stages, from the inlet end to the discharge end of each stage, with the first stage in said series through which a gas mass first flows being both the lowest pressure stage and also that one stage whose inlet end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection from the discharge end of any other stage of said vacuum pump, and with the last stage in said series through which a gas mass last flows being both the highest pressure stage and also the one stage whose discharge end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection to the inlet end of any other stage of said vacuum pump;   a means for driving said vacuum pumping means;   a vacuum expander comprising means for expanding mixed gases from the supply source pressure of said gases down to the pressure within said pressure vessel means, said expanding means having at least one stage and each such stage comprising a supply end and a delivery end;   each such vacuum expander whose number of stages exceeds one further comprising fixed open gas flow connections from the delivery end of each expander stage, except one, to the supply end of one other stage of said expander, whereby said stages of said expander are connected in series so that the pressure of a particular gas mass, at discharge from each stage, decreases as said gas mass is expanded through said series connected stages, from the supply end to the delivery end of each stage, with the first stage in said series through which a gas mass first flows being both the highest pressure stage and also that one stage whose supply end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection from the delivery end of any other stage of said expander, and with the last stage in said series through which a gas mass last flows being both the lowest pressure stage and also that one stage whose delivery end does not have a fixed open gas flow connection to the supply end of any other stage of said expander; and   further fixed open gas flow connections from the discharge end of the highest pressure stage of said vacuum pump to one product gas collector pipe, the supply end of the lowest pressure stage of said vacuum expander to said mixed gas supply source; and   further changeable gas flow connections, which are openable and closeable, from the pressure vessel inlet of each of said containers to the delivery end of each stage of said vacuum expander and from the pressure vessel outlet of each of said containers to the inlet end of each stage of said vacuum pump;   wherein each cyclic gas separator machine comprises a number of said containing means, with changeable gas flow connections to said compressor means and to said expander means and to said vacuum pump and to said vacuum expander, at least equal to the sum of the number of compressor stages and the number of expander stages and the number of vacuum pump stages and the number of vacuum expander stages; and   further wherein said means for opening and closing said changeable gas pressure vessel gas flow connections also functions so that said sequences of time periods of open gas flow connections further comprises a sub-sequence of open gas flow connections from said pressure vessel outlet to the inlet end of each stage of said vacuum pump, and next thereafter from said pressure vessel inlet to the delivery end of each stage of said vacuum expander, said sub-sequence of open gas flow connections to said vacuum pump and to said vacuum expander following next after said sub-sequence of connections to said expander means; and   further wherein said means for controlling said means for opening and closing said changeable gas pressure vessel gas flow connections also functions so that the delivery end of each stage of said vacuum expander has an open gas flow connection to the pressure vessel inlet of at least one containing means, and the inlet end of each stage of said vacuum pump has an open gas flow connection to the pressure vessel outlet of at least one containing means during all time periods, whenever said machine is operating; and   further wherein said cooling and heating means for opening and closing said changeable heating and cooling connections also increases said sub-sequence of heating periods for each container to occur also concurrently with any time periods when said container is gas flow connected to said vacuum pump, and also increases said sub-sequence of cooling periods for each container to occur also concurrently with any time periods when said container is gas flow connected to said vacuum expander.   
     
     
       9. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 1, 4, 2, or 5, wherein at least one of said expander means is an expander engine. 
     
     
       10. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 1, 4, 2, or 5, and further comprising: density setting means for setting the density of said mixed gas to be separated at said mixed gas supply source.   
     
     
       11. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gases as described in claim 1, 4, 2, or 5, wherein at least one of said expander means further comprises expander gas flow rate adjustment means for adjusting the gas flow rate through said expander. 
     
     
       12. A cyclic gas separator machine for separating mixed gas as described in claim 1, or 4, and further comprising: means for cooling said container pressure vessels whenever said container pressure vessel inlets are connected to compressor stages;   means for heating said container pressure vessels whenever said container pressure vessel outlets are connected to expander stages.